Kansas deputy shot in legs and foot, suspect found dead inside home after standoff
Update, 1:45 p.m. Sunday:
A sheriff’s deputy has been released from the hospital after being shot in his legs and a foot while responding to a domestic disturbance at a western Kansas home.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that a weekend standoff ended with law enforcement finding the body of the man accused of shooting the Gray County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
The sheriff’s office had responded at around 10:50 p.m. Friday to a report of a domestic dispute at 609 E. Ave. A in Cimarron, KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood said in the release. Two people left the residence after deputies arrived.
“After questioning them, deputies became concerned for the safety of the homeowner still inside, 49-year-old Kevin Trahern,” Underwood said.
The Gray County deputies went into the house through the back door at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday to find Trahern. One sheriff’s deputy was going down the basement stairs when Trahern allegedly fired gunshots through the basement door, hitting the deputy three times. The deputy returned fire, and the law enforcement officers retreated.
The deputy was taken to Western Plains Regional Hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
A standoff at the home ensued, and several agencies responded to assist, including the KBI, Kansas Highway Patrol, police from Dodge City and Garden City and sheriff’s office personnel from Ford and Hodgeman counties.
The standoff ended at around 1:40 p.m. Saturday, when officers went inside and found Trahern’s body. He is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Underwood said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Original story:
A Gray County deputy was shot while investigating a domestic disturbance and the “suspect is still believed to be barricaded inside his residence,” the Gray County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook late Saturday morning.
The post says the shooting happened in the 600 block of East Avenue A in Cimarron. Images from the scene show police in ballistic vests and what appears to be an armored vehicle. The sheriff’s office said five law enforcement agencies, including SWAT, were out on the call.
This story was originally published July 18, 2020 at 2:56 PM.